10. Go, Fight, Win: Texas Cheerleaders and the B-I-B-L-E

Don’t mess with the Bible in Texas. The cheerleaders at Kountze High School in East Texas took their words of encouragement to a whole new level when they wrote Bible verses on the banners that football players run through when taking the field. After the banners, with phrases like “And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us” (Hebrews 12:1), caught the eye of the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, the cheerleaders were told by the school district to keep God off of their signs. In response, the 15 cheerleaders and their parents sued the district, claiming the ban violated the students’ freedoms of religion and speech. “As students, we still have rights,” cheerleader Rebekah Richardson told the Associated Press. “As Christians, not only is it our right, but it’s our job. It’s our duty as Christians to share the word with other people, and that’s what we want to do.” After nationwide outcry on both sides of the debate, Governor Rick Perry intervened, saying the ban was “a great insult,” and a judge issued a temporary injunction that allowed the cheerleaders to use the banners for the rest of the season. No word yet on what will happen next season.